I know your probably wondering why I am talking about a bill that was introduced in Kentucky but the fact of the matter is that this bill affects Ohio anglers as well. For those of us that make the trip down to the Ohio River to fish for Monster Catfish, this bill govern the harvesting, taking, and selling of catfish by commercial fishermen from waters of the Commonwealth and the buying of catfish by licensed pay lakes, as deemed reasonable and prudent by the department, to ensure proper propagation and prevent depletion of the catfish population.

Alot of these fish caught by commercial fishermen for pay lakes is taken from the Ohio River. If we want to preserve theses waters for future generations we need to show support for this bill as it affects us as well. The bill reads as follows:

SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 150 IS CREATED TO READ AS FOLLOWS 1) The department shall establish requirements by administrative regulation, not less than ninety (90) days after the effective …date of this Act, to govern the harvesting, taking, and selling of catfish by commercial fishermen from waters of the Commonwealth and the buying of catfish by licensed pay lakes, as deemed reasonable and prudent by the department, to ensure proper propagation and prevent depletion of the catfish population.(2) The department may set more restrictive daily creel and catfish size limits per license holder.(3) Transporting of live catfish harvested in the Commonwealth across state lines for commercial sale shall be prohibited IN other words they will be starting to monitor and regulate the amount of trophy catfish being removed by commercial fishermen.

call 1-800-372-7181 and tell them you support HB403 or you can visit http://legiscan.com/KY/bill/HB403/2013 and leave a comment supporting this bill. Anyone from any state can do this and it only takes a few minutes. I did and I hope you will do the same.